


1933

by ExplainingTheIndescribable



Series: The Life and Times of Miss Union Jack [1]
Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-27
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-07-27 04:14:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7603021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExplainingTheIndescribable/pseuds/ExplainingTheIndescribable
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time they meet. Aka Baby Cartinelli in Italy. Okay maybe they're eleven (Angie) and twelve (Peggy) years old, but the point is they're pretty young and innocent and holding hands is like 'woah' for them so ya know.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Peggy was borderline pouting.

“But why do _I_ have to go to Italy?”

She was debating stomping her foot by this point, torn between being a mature grown-up and actually expressing her feelings.

Miss Harrison sighed.

“Margaret, we all have to go. It’s a school trip.”

She crouched down so she was closer to the little girl’s height.

“C’mon Pegs, it’ll be fun.”

She knocked Peggy's shoulder and winked before standing up straight again, completing missing her disbelieving look. Normally the girl would have loved to go away on a trip. She would rather be anywhere than the same musty, old boarding school she felt like she spent every second of her life in. But this weekend, she wanted to be at home. It was the last weekend before Michael would be leaving to join the army and her parents had even specially arranged to let her come home for a few days to say goodbye.

All until this abominable, intolerable, downright _unfair_ school trip came up.

Her older brother was going to join the _army_ , be in a whole other _country! For ages!!_ Did no one get that?!

She sighed, kicked the wooden floorboard with her shoe and resigned to her fate. Shy of running away there was nothing she could do.

She paused, before a slow smile hooked into the corner of her lips and left her trying to conceal a grin.

_~Not long later~_

“Climbing over the garden wall is not acceptable behaviour for a proper young lady Margaret.”

Peggy’s head was hung. Equally because she was trying to appear disheartened, but also because she was bored and the old battleaxe headmistress would notice the expression on her features instantly if she saw it.

“…and all to what end? To go frolicking around the countryside with the sheep, or did you simply forget we're twenty miles from the closest town?”

Peggy was trying to pay attention. She really was, but it was the same old spiel… ‘broken trust blah blah’, ‘stop pulling pranks with Gretchen blah blah’, ‘proper behaviour blah blah’…. She was pretty sure Ms Vaux had it memorised by this point. They both did.

“…this is your final warning. If you don’t behave yourself for even an instant on this trip, you will be put in with to the teachers bunk with them.”

That made it easier to pay attention. She heard the Maths teacher who had caught her, Miss Price, damn near squeak before trying to cover it up with a cough.

“Do you need a breath mint dear?”

For a second Ms Vaux looked almost kindly at one of her favourite colleages, but when Miss Price shook her head, her eyes turned sharply back to the girl in front of her.

“Well, what do you have to say to yourself?”

Peggy tried to focus, she had to pull out all the stops and try to look as sorry as possible. If they had her in with the teachers, she’d never escape.

The words came out a tiny, determined voice.

“I’m sorry Ms Vaux. It won’t happen again.”

~Half a world away in Brooklyn~

Angie had crept downstairs in the early morning, hoping to nab one of the little pastries her aunt had been up making ‘til it was past her bedtime. When she'd caught Angie yesterday evening, Maria told her it was for family day, and Angie reasoned it was most definitely family day now. Aunty Maria didn’t say anything about the time of day. Besides, there were worse things she could have for breakfast… all sorts of excuses were preparing themselves in her brain in case she got caught. Better safe, she figured. But as it turned out, she didn’t need a single one. Angie didn’t get past the corridor to the living room.

“THIS IS WONDERFUL!”

Angie winced. Early mornings were not made for overexcited family members.

Giving up her stealthy mission, she walked into the living room to find her mother close to crying while hugging everyone in sight. That being her uncle Roberto, who for once in his life seemed a little out of his depth. She’d seen him looking happier in the middle of mafia meetings. Which is a whole other story, let’s just say Angie's incurable sweet-tooth that often led her into strange circumstances.

“What-”

The word was barely out of her mouth before her mum was picking her up and swinging her round like she hadn’t done since Angie was four years old and an even tinier kid than she was at the moment.

Angie looked to her uncle inquisitively, but he just shrugged and sat back in the usual recliner he'd occupied every Sunday since before Angie could remember.

“Mama”

But she was too caught up in happy squeals of joy and more excitement now that the dog was awake and joining in, and her brother’s were starting to make bleary-eyed appearances in the doorway.

“Mama!”

It was no use. Angie eventually gave up when she was put back down, and sat next to her uncle on her usual stool, bringing her legs up to her chest and trying not to fall asleep again until she found out what exactly was going on this morning.

“Violetta’s getting married!!”

Angie jerked up. That was unexpected… of all Ma’s sisters, she was the youngest and had not shown any interest in marriage nor men before. None whatsoever, in all the phone calls they had shared in the eleven and a half years of Angie’s life.

“We’re all going to Italy!”

There was more than a moment of stunned silence before everyone in the family started their own joyous celebrations. Although the details weren’t quite all worked out, Angie’s mother essentially told everyone her baby sister was getting hitched to some rich Italian that was happy to fly the whole family all over to Italy for the wedding in his private plane. And this was all happening in a few weeks. The celebrations quieted down a little as discussions began on who should arrange what, and should they invite Eduardo even though he was essentially estranged from the family? He was still blood, after all... They talked and laughed and revelled in the mere idea of the upcoming trip. Many of the youngest generation had never been to Italy before and many of the oldest generation missed home terribly. The ones in between, such as Angie’s mother, had vague memories of vineyards and sunshine and the cobbled roads the neighbour kids used to play in behind the church. Everyone was caught up except for Angie that is; with the mystery happily solved and no chance of heavenly little pastries, she was quite content to curl up and go straight back to dreamland. 


	2. Venice, or, escaping and wonderment

Peggy didn’t last one day. They had begun sight-seeing at around eight o’clock in the morning to ‘miss the rush’ as Mr Pennyweather reminded them in a voice much too loud and cheerful at that time in the morning. It was still 7am back home and no one had adjusted that quickly. She even caught Ms Vaux stifling a yawn a while later as they trudged past the Grand Canal and up to St Mark’s Basilica. It was beautiful, Peggy had to admit. Though she was equally sure it would be just a beautiful during a reasonable time of the day, the lack of people bustling about in the early morning breeze made her content enough.

As the clock struck ten and the group huddled around the main entrance of the Royal Palace, Peggy saw her chance. She slipped into one of the café’s lining the square, looking as nonchalant as an English twelve year old can look. She pretended to peruse the menu for a moment as she waited for the rest of the group to move on. It worked well enough, they were gone within a few minutes. So pleased was she with her evasion skills, that she didn’t notice the tall man in a dark suit that she had wandered into the path of while he was on his way out of the door. Until, that is, the man was shouting something at her in Italian, even though she was the one now dripping in some fruity smelling tea that was still very, very hot.

Afterwards she tried to reason with herself that it was the shock of it that made fat tears start to roll down her cheeks. She came to this conclusion sitting at the top of the steps leading into the canal network at the end of a random street, after having bolted from the yelling man, half-gasping out a stifled, automatic apology as she went. She debated wringing out her shirt, but there didn’t seem to be much benefit to it. The sun would rise and dry it soon enough, and there was no way that stain would come out before one of the teachers saw her. It was just as well she hadn’t chosen to remove her shirt, as at that exact moment, a flurry of light brown hair, little blue shorts and a loose white t-shirt bolted into the side street, closely followed by the sound of an angry voice that was definitely getting louder.

Peggy was on her feet in a moment, though she wasn’t sure why. The route she had run was pure coincidence. Plus she severely doubted anyone cared _that much_ about a cup of fruity tea. Her nose wrinkled slightly. It didn’t even smell that great. At that particular moment was the second the sprinting girl would have raced straight passed Peggy and headlong into the canal, had Peggy not grabbed her wrist.

She halted with a stumble, then looked at the grasp on her wrist in confusion for a split second, before she turned sharply to where her foot had just slipped off the top step. Then she beamed a quick smile of thanks at Peggy, before realising that she was trapped at a dead end.

The whole series of events couldn't have lasted more than a few seconds, but from where Peggy was standing, it felt like it was a helluva lot longer than that.

The girl got her footing back before taking a few small steps back and crouching, as though she thought she could jump to the other side. Peggy judged the distance and the girl’s frame. The canal would not be deep enough to entirely cushion her fall if she didn’t make it.

Peggy took the girl’s elbow, before pulling her up to her feet and over to the side. There was a ledge. It would probably hold them. Although it probably would've been a lot easier to stay on it, if it wasn’t slippery with moss dug into the grooves of stone worn away by water lapping at its edge for centuries.

The girl looked uncertain for a moment, before there was a brief yell of what was probably cursing in Italian, a lot louder than before. The temporary panic turned to complete concentration and she stepped lightly behind Peggy and onto the ledge. Perhaps if Angie had actually managed to jump to the other side of the canal and climb up the iron railing balconies that littered the side of the building, or Peggy hadn’t been so caught up in making sure the other girl was on okay, Angie wouldn’t have looked up at Peggy to whisper a quick thanks, and slipped.

~Half an hour ago~

“Come on Angie!”

Her brother grinned at her, trying not to chuckle outright. It was only a few olives.

“Tommy I don’t even like olives.”

She wrinkled her nose.

“It’s not about the olives sis, it’s about adventure! Trying new things!”

Angie looked at him like he’d gone mad, so he stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged.

“Ma used to do it alla time. She told me.”

“No way did mama go olive scrumping.”

He shrugged and turned away a little.

“Huh. I guess there are some stories you won’t find out ‘til you’re older.”

He knew just what buttons to push. Angie hated her brothers acting like she was just a little girl. The fact that technically, she was, just didn’t seem relevant.

“Oh yeah? When.”

She folded her arms and looked at her defiantly, which told him that he was already winning.

“With her brothers. Uncle Roberto and Vinnie, even Luchino back when they were younger, around the vineyards near the house.”

Angie paused. She wanted to wipe the smug smile off her brother’s face.

And she was perfectly capable of doing so, which she found out when she picked three olives, and put them into the pocket of her shorts. She was about to walk away whistling with her own smug look of satisfaction when a stocky guy appeared from between the olive trees and started yelling at them. If it had been a proper vineyard, there would have been plenty of places to hide. As it was, they were pretty visible among the twelve olive trees in what appeared to be this guy’s backyard. Whoops. Angie dashed off, with Tommy chuckling and very close behind her, right up until she turned another corner and he somehow he wasn’t anymore.

~Present moment~

A man of small stature with dark features and lines along his face that told of a lifetime of scowling, rounded another corner. He walked slowly along the worn stones, intently focused on not making a sound as he treat from one backstreet to the next of those that make up part of the maze of Venice. He face set in a grim line as he reached another dead end where only the canal stretched before his. He was so sure he could’ve caught that clumsy girl. He kicked the red brick of the house next to him. In trying to stifle his own pain, he nearly missed the sound that spilt his features into what would have been a smile on any other man, but truly came across as a grimace.

Angie’s yelp as she slipped was a small sound of panic that she couldn’t have helped if she tried. It was instinctual. Unfortunately, it was not such a small sound as to go unnoticed by the stocky man just a few feet away.

In an instant Peggy somehow knew how things would play out.

The guy would look around the corner, see them on the ledge, and grab them both.

As she felt this unknown girl squeeze her hand just a little bit tighter, she suddenly decided to change the game.

She looked right, then left. The only other way out was down. As much as she wasn’t fond of the smell of fruity tea in her clothing, canal water would undeniably be worse.

With a gracefulness that most definitely by accident, Peggy stepped around the girl pressed to her for half a moment, still holding her hand tight, before she was on her other side and closest to the approaching man. Hearing the footsteps stop, she paused for a beat before swinging a right hook right into his unexpecting nose. She winced briefly at the sharp pain that throbbed through her knuckle before sticking with her body’s momentum and swinging herself in an arc half back onto the stone street, landing with a stamping foot on the guy’s toes. Where before he had recoiled to cradle his streaming, bloody nose now he bent forward, as though curling inwards would help to stop the pain. Seeing her chance and only feeling slightly guilty for it, Peggy stepped back and gave him a neat push, right into the water. He fell in, still curled, with a splash that caused tiny droplets of water to fall neatly on the girl’s white socks and dark shoes.

Once they were both safely more than a few blocks away from the so-called scene of the crime, also referred to by the girl as 'the scene of kickass-badassery' and Peggy was grinning profusely with pink cheeks, the girl held out a hand, still slightly out of breath from trying to run while laughing.

“Angie Martinelli.”

Peggy grinned at the New York accent and stuck her own hand out in turn.

“Peggy Carter.”


	3. Welcoming the lost

“Let me get you some new clothes.”

“I should really be getting back.”

As much as Peggy enjoyed the other girl’s company and was loathe to return to her group, they would probably notice she wasn’t there, eventually.

Angie gave her a look.

“Nah, don’t be daft Pegs. My ma can get that stain right out. Besides, it’s only just gone lunch. I’m sure you got lotsa time before you have to report for duty.”

Angie teased her with a mock salute and Peggy laughed. Although the school was most definitely harsher than it needed to be at times, perhaps she should lessen a little bit the exaggerated nature of her tales.

Peggy still looked torn, but when her tummy grumbled, Angie’s mind was instantly made up.

“I can’t leave ya wandering the streets of a strange city by yourself, cold, hungry and covered in tea when my family’s place is just around the corner. Ma would have a fit if she knew…”

It was a solid standpoint. So solid in fact, she wondered for a moment if Angie had planned to end up only a few streets away from her family’s house.

Nevertheless, she didn’t pull away when Angie linked her arm and started tugging her forwards. Peggy simply grinned and allowed herself the luxury of staying in their little bubble of adventure.

 “Besides, you saved me from that horrid guy. It’s the least I could do to thank you.”

For a moment she looked so incredibly sincere, before her usual cheeky smirk played across her features and Peggy marvelled at how naturally this stranger had become practically her friend in the space of a few short hours. If she had been ten years older, Peggy would’ve been a lot more resistant to it. Barriers in place built in part from necessity, and the rest from being betrayed enough to trust few and have fewer friends still. But as it was, she giggled along with Angie as she went to meet her family, not knowing that every member of the Martinelli clan was in town and the majority were just ahead in that pretty little house up the road. Uncles, aunts, sisters, brothers, cousins and their wives or husbands, the house was beyond full to bursting. Violetta’s future husband had offered to put them up in one of his own luxury hotels, but it was pretty much an unspoken agreement between the family that they would all rather be stuffed together in Angie’s grandmother’s old house. They were a small community all on their own, and so preferred it that way. Besides, with all the catching-up there was to do between the American visitors and the side of the family that had chosen to stay in Italy, the close proximity was a blessing.

Peggy was starting to realise some of the extent of Angie’s family as she was introduced to various aunts and uncles just on the way to Angie’s room, shortly before she met Angie’s ma and was instantly swept into a fierce hug. For Peggy, used to adults maintaining a ‘proper and polite distance’, it definitely caught her offer guard. She smiled shyly up at the woman as Angie’s ma held her shoulders at arms length, feeling more like a child than she had since Michael had moved out to join the army.

“La mia patatina, making friends already.”

“Mama!”

She held Peggy still and nodded with approval at Angie, before stating that her friend was far too skinny and would be joining them for dinner. No arguments accepted.

Angie attempted to translate this for Peggy after being hugged half to death herself by her mother, before being knocked hard on the shoulder by Gino and damn near chasing him up the stairs to the attic.

“Brothers.”

She huffed as she returned to Peggy’s side, taking her hand and leading her to the room she would be sharing with her cousins when they arrived from the south of Italy tomorrow. But for now, it was hers alone and she was grateful. It gave her some much needed peace in between spending time with her family. They all seemed to possess the desire to talk/hug/tease her to death at regular intervals. It was a nice surprise after having spent a the last few years mostly independently as her older brother’s moved out to be with their families, or just because they had jobs and were ‘grown-men’ as they would try to convince her over Sunday lunch. It had pretty much just been her, her youngest brother and the neighbourhood kids to play with on a weekend, so suddenly being placed into a house where there was a constant thrum of conversation took a little getting used to.

By this point Peggy was standing awkwardly near the dresser trying not to impose, as Angie rummaged through her unpacked suitcase and rucksack and the one side of the wardrobe she’d actually put a few dresses away into. It wasn’t worth the telling off if they got too wrinkly.

She pulled one dress in particular out, before deciding it was no good and putting it away again.

Peggy couldn’t help grinning as she watched Angie unconsciously stick her tongue out as she searched. Her face was incredibly expressive.

“Here.”

The slightly taller girl pulled out a few of the less wrinkly ones for Peggy’s appraisal

“Take your pick. I won’t look”

To emphasise her point she jumped onto the bed, crossed her legs, and faced the opposite wall with her hands over her eyes.

“Angie, this is very kind-“

“I can sense a ‘but’.”

“Yes well I can’t just borrow your clothes-“

“Why not? Are you tryna start a new tea-related fashion trend?”

“Well no, and it’s a very kind gesture please don’t misunderstand me, but it’s your clothes!”

At this, she turned around to face Peggy.

“Right. So I can give them to who I want.”

Her tone allowed no room for argument as she levelled Peggy with a muted version of her ma’s ‘no-nonsense’ look, before turning back around. So Peggy conceded to find some way to repay Angie’s kindness along with the dress, while she tugged on a light blue pinafore with a little white collar.

Peggy sat next to Angie on the bed.

“You dressed English?”

“Yup”

Angie bounded off the bed and took Peggy’s hand with a wink.

“Great, now try not to get sauce all over it.”

Peggy’s smile faded for a second and gulped as she allowed herself to be led back out of Angie’s room and into the fray. When they finally sat down to eat at the table after chatting with various family members, Angie became engaged in a debate with her uncle over who would win the American League and did the Brooklyn Dodgers have a snowball’s chance in hell? As much as Angie loved baseball and was thoroughly caught up in the conversation, she had trouble stifling her giggling, let alone full shoulder-shaking laughter when she noticed Pegs building herself what looked like a giant bib that covered most of her lap and torso, already three-layers thick and made out of napkins. She grinned as Angie gave up any attempt to hide her mirth and doubled over in her chair, holding her sides and gasping for air.

Peggy plucked a fresh napkin from the table and offered it to Angie, to sort out the now tomato-y strand of her hair that had danced briefly along the edge of her bowl.

“Careful,” Peggy whispered cheekily “wouldn’t want to get sauce all over you.”

Angie looked at her for a moment, trying with all her might to put on a solemn ‘not impressed’ expression complete with a raised eyebrow; one which last all of a split second before she was laughing again. The giggles quickly became infectious, with Angie’s uncle letting loose a roaring laugh that resounded through the room as he threw his head back, and Angie’s mother chucking and holding onto her sister who was also giggling even though none of them quite knew why, it was just one of those things.

When the meal was done and the sun was lazily drawing its way further across the sky until the shadows grew long, Peggy really did have to go. Angie and Tommy agreed to walk her back to where the group were staying; it was only a fifteen minute stroll away. On their way out of the door, Angie’s mother hugged Peggy again and told her she was welcome back any time, with the kind of genuine smile she reserved for those few special people she really did like.

Tommy skulked a few steps behind them as they walked, not really interested in whatever his little sister was talking about with her equally little friend. He pushed a hand through his hair; he was far too cool for that.

“So how long are you here for?”

“The trip’s for seven nights, and we only got here last night.”

Angie contemplated her reply for a moment.

“Would it be okay I if, erm, saw you tomorrow? I know your family’s probably going to be really busy with the wedding plans and things but if you’re free-“

Angie beamed.

“Sure thing, English.”

Peggy smiled back, before they arranged the details for tomorrow and said their goodbyes.

Angie paused for a second to wave at Peggy as she turned, still walking back towards the museum and her school-friends. It was because she was distracted that she didn’t notice the figure in front of her, which she nearly tripped over. Thankfully this guy wasn’t carrying any hot beverages, though it did cause a dog to yelp as the man stumbled back and nearly stepped on his tail.

Angie knelt down and whistled for the dog, she could at least keep him out of the way while they sorted themselves out. As the dog trotted up to her she smiled and held out a hand for him to sniff. After a moment she noticed he didn’t have a collar, but by that point the dog was already standing in front of her and wagging its tail. She scratched the stray behind his fluffy ears for a moment before standing again.

“Ma’s not gonna be happy if you take him home.”

Angie sighed.

“But look how skinny he is… you can almost count his ribs from here!”

“Well that’s not hard when you’re so close to the ground, midget.”

Tommy emphasised his point by ruffling her hair.

She gave him a glare.

“I don’t care, I’m taking him home. Besides, ma loves having skinny people to feed up, why not a skinny little dog?”

“Up to you lil sis. You’re the one that’s gonna take the heat for it.”

They turned and started back the way they came, as Peggy’s group also started to leave.

Each smiled as they went their separate ways, Peggy with her class and Angie with her brother and the stray that seemed to have taken a liking to her. Perhaps this wouldn’t be such a terrible trip after all.

 


End file.
